Legacy

My own grandparents are devoted, passionate Christians, who in their late nineties are still dreaming, still living independently, still driving (aaahhhhh!!) and still encour- aging all their kids and grandkids and great grandkids in the ways of God.

They stand on the doors in their home church each weekend and help look after the ‘old people’, they still send us all gifts at Christmas and take the time to call wherever we may be to check up on us and make sure we are doing great.

It was when my nan was in her eighties that she had an encounter with the Holy Spirit that changed her forever, even though both her and pop have been Christians since a very young age.

They have continued to inspire all of us kids to the core on so many levels, especially when it comes to KNOWING and SERVING GOD, and what it really means to LOVE YOUR FAMILY.

Every time we are with them, they take the time to speak blessing over our lives, to pour themselves out, as if it would be the last time we’ll see them or speak with them. It is their commitment to smooth transition that I admire. The last time my pop saw my second daughter Chloe, who is very passionate about architecture, he hugged her and hugged her and said that he probably wouldn’t be around for the opening of her first building, but she was to know on the day her first building opens, that he is so very proud of her. What a kind man... no regret, not withhold- ing love when it will help define a young person’s dreams, no speaking negatively over the future and the world our children are growing up in.

No, just the Word of God and His promise over all that is in our hearts. My nan played the organ in church for so many years faithful, loving God, but when the time came, she was SO gracious... ‘time for the young ones’, she said.

Now that’s generosity at its purist. The old loving the young, and being the bridge for their dreams.I know that one thing that really encourages some of the younger guys in our team is that I am still here, still leading worship, still writing and dreaming and creating, but just standing to the side and cheering others on as they take their leadership place, whether in our own home church environment or beyond. I have had to swallow my pride and tackle my own thought processes on the journey, but the end result is so worth it.

One of the wonderful things that people don’t tell you about is the amount of trust and friendship that develops over time and over the journey of life that you end up taking with people. Actually, I believe many people miss out on this incredible gift because they don’t stick around long enough, or leave their post at the first sign of conflict. Conflict is inevitable if you are doing life with PEOPLE!! God did not create us to be robots, but human beings with thoughts and feelings and connection with God Himself.

As a songwriter, Darlene is perhaps most famous for the chorus "Shout to the Lord," a song that is sung by an estimated 25 to 30 million churchgoers every week and has been covered by at least twenty other artists. This song is the title track for the first live album co-produced with Integrity Music, featuring Darlene as a prominent female worship leader. Shout to the Lord was nominated as Album of the Year for the 1997 Dove Awards and was nominated as Song of...
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